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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728762">A Critique of Honeymooners: A Thief-Spider Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaxMan/pseuds/JaxMan'>JaxMan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Critiques/reviews/analysis [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Thief-Spider Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Critique, M/M, Reviews</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:21:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,560</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaxMan/pseuds/JaxMan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a critique of LazBriar's short story 'Honeymooners.' If you haven't read this work, you will be totally lost. Also, I'll spoil the entire thing right here, so go read it!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel) &amp; Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Critiques/reviews/analysis [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664824</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Critique of Honeymooners: A Thief-Spider Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazBriar/gifts">LazBriar</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21433957">Honeymooners</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazBriar/pseuds/LazBriar">LazBriar</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>So, Honeymooners. I don't know if I'll review any more short stories, but if not, this is gonna be my last Thief-Spider critique until the series is done. Last chance to give Laz the same paralyzing writer's anxiety that I give myself every day! You can bet I'll enjoy it. Also, I've finally decided what to call these: critiques. Not 'analyses,' not 'reviews,' not whatever else I was calling them before. It just fits what I'm doing better. So here it is, the critique of Honeymooners.</p><p>It starts off reeeal lovey. Makes sense, since you just got 'hitched,' but damn does Laz want you to know how much you love your spider. And why wouldn't you? He's your husband now! Right away, the story leans into the 'marriage' angle. Your bond keeps getting stronger, no matter what.</p><p>Have I ever mentioned how much of a creep Laz's version of Alastor is? I like it. Making a joke about Jr under his breath, just soft enough for you and Angel to miss it, that's really fucked up. I mean, he's a creep in the pilot, but damn. The fact that he seems to be on your side is somehow more disturbing than him being an enemy. At least with an antagonist, you know where to stand, but this guy? Brrr. At least he gives you your old prosthetic back, even if he's clearly planning something. And speaking of his cruel joke, it's interesting that you (the character) don't hear it, even though you (the reader) do. </p><p>Ah, yes. The trauma. Remember what I said about the status quo? The trauma is changing that. This is where the consequences of Jr's death really come into play. It changes the core dynamic between you and Angel, the heart of the story, in a way that's unlikely to be resolved any time soon. You love each other more than ever, but you live in constant fear of re-opening a fresh emotional wound. For the first time, you can't just shoot the problem or hug it out. It's easier to feel sad about a character's death if other characters mourn, and boy, do they. Jr's death is a major source of this story's emotional weight. I still agree with everything I said about his relative lack of development, but this is still devastatingly effective. Hell, maybe more characterization would've made it *too* real.</p><p>You and Angel are bound at the soul. You can sense what he feels, and presumably vise-versa. Because of this, you know that Angel's not taking Jr's death well. He's trying to distract himself from the pain and guilt as best he can, but he's barely managing to keep it buried under his persona. He doesn't dare show how he feels, even to you. Instead, he wants to party it up and show his marriage (and husband) off to the world! Nothing could go wrong there! When you try to bring up the topic, he instantly changes the subject, pretending not to hear you and showing you his old phone that he just found.</p><p>By the way, Angel had a phone before? He was confused when Jr gave him one, like he didn't know how it worked. But he's had this one since before then, so what gives? Was his ignorance just for the joke? Is it non-canon? Do I give a discount damn? Not really. This trilogy wasn't fully planned out in advance, so it's no surprise some things got dropped or retconned. You might care about this, I personally do not. Besides, social media seems like something he'd be into, assuming he kept up with technology. It also serves to attract the attention of Valentino, who I'll get to later.</p><p>You have concerns about the party, probably due to the massive amounts of trauma you've endured in the last book, but you cast aside your troubles to help your husband. After all, 'Spider gets what Spider wants.' That's an unhealthy mindset, and it's (subtly) portrayed as such. It's not new, either. You've been doing this ever since book 1, putting yourself under needless stress and danger to keep Angel safe and happy. You hide the pain because that's what a strong person does, right? He's called you out on this, too. And here you are again, putting his coping mechanism above your own. You're in love with pain, all right, and not just in the bedroom. </p><p>Yeah, your character has some PTSD. And you're so caught up in helping Angel, you don't even realize how badly you're doing. Every stranger is a threat, every shadow hides danger, every reflex tells you to run or fight. You think you're being paranoid, but these are legitimate concerns. Get some help, Thief! You deserve it as much as your husband! Angel doesn't mean to make you anxious. His selfies with you, the giant party, he wouldn't have done it if you told him how you really feel. But, well, you haven't, and you won't for (at least) the rest of this story. I respect the way Laz handles trauma. It's up to par with his other character writing, and that's saying a lot. </p><p>There's a sex scene, of course. It's good. Real good. Everything I said about the sex in the last book holds true here. The blending of romance, lust, and genuine love of your husband shines as bright as ever. World in my Eyes is a fitting track for the scene, too. More so than Rebel Yell, in my opinion. And remember how you're used to putting him before yourself? Well... here you go again. This is a more positive example, obviously, but the point remains. I also like how other story events tie into the sex. You have to be careful with your prosthetic, some of Angel's dirty talk reminds you of Jr, and the spider-beans even come into play. It's a good way to tie it all together. Plus, how many love scenes cover what happens afterward? Not just the cuddling but also the cleanup, the conversations, partners learning about each other. And yes, also the cuddling. There's just so much character-building material in the awkward in-betweens of a relationship, why not explore it? And this story does. Hell, the entire series does.</p><p>Hox is back. I guess the status quo hasn't been completely destroyed, huh? Still, he's back with... 'complications.' Intrigue, mystery, plot threads for another time. Also, nice callback with the music. I wonder what wacky, fun-filled misadventures await our intrepid heroes!</p><p>The intensity of Angel's grief hasn't been fully explored until now. He was obviously mourning, but it's now clear that he's doing even worse than you. And Valentino's ready to emerge from his past and wreak havoc! Oh, boy! Seriously, though, I hope he doesn't get turned into a Saturday morning cartoon villain. But we'll get to that.</p><p>SarSar is as precious as ever. I like a wholesome relationship between villains. Also, Henroin, Angel's dad, is a dick. But his motives are as clear as they are clearly wrong. And Annie... well, she appears. She's hardly more than a cameo, so I don't have much to say.</p><p>I've noticed something in fiction. When regular death is either impossible or just a setback, the threat of *real* death gets even more intense. That's how it was in Edge of Tomorrow (aka Live, Die, Repeat), that's how it is with Seraphic rounds. This sense of danger could wear out if it's overused, but there's only one more book in the series, so it *probably* won't. As long as the plot armor stays hidden, anyway.</p><p>Directing the gangsters toward SarSar is such an Alastor thing to do. As the mobsters are enacting their evil plan to split the heroic duo, I could only think one thing: how long before they fuck with SarSar and get their asses kicked? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGp9P6QvMjY">Sure enough, Chekov's power couple save the day in the nick of time.</a> Also, "I'm taking my bun and going home" is such a LazBriar line.</p><p>What follows is a cool and satisfying scene of Angel and Anon escaping disaster as Sarakk shreds motherfuckers like an unholy blender. But, since I'm a nitpicking amateur critic, I have an issue with it. Henry's plan seems a little 'saturday-morning-cartoon-villain-ey.' "I demand you abandon your love or you ALL WILL DIE! NYAAHAHAHAH! That's not always a bad thing, but I'm not sure how well it works with Henry. In the first book, Angel recounts being horribly abused by this man, and in this story he outright remembers how his 'father' (in blood only) kept him from being happy throughout his mortal life. As a result, the tone feels a bit off to me, like an episode of Inspector Gadget in the middle of Blade Runner. Still, it's a small issue, and it's a cool scene. </p><p>Annie doesn't have many lines, but she's sticking to the 'evil ex' trope. Val, too early to say what he's like (aside from an over-dramatic asshole). They're set to have an interesting dynamic, each obsessed with someone from their past, so I'm interested to see where that leads.</p><p>Overall, this does a good job linking the last two books together, setting up future plot points, and just being a good story of its' own. And if I don't critique any stories until then, see you after book 3!</p>
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